Türkiye is set to commence natural gas exports to Azerbaijan’s autonomous enclave, Nakhchivan, this week, the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry has announced.
“We are initiating natural gas exports to Nakhchivan. The Iğdır-Nakhchivan pipeline has been fully completed. A ceremonial event will be held with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Azerbaijan’s President İlham Aliyev,” Bayraktar stated during his engagements in Moscow, speaking to Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency.
Among Türkiye’s current export destinations are Bulgaria and Greece, with Nakhchivan now set to be incorporated into this network as of this week, he added.
“With the inauguration of this pipeline, Türkiye will establish yet another strategic energy linkage. Moving forward, Nakhchivan’s natural gas needs will be met via Türkiye,”he added.
Following Azerbaijan’s liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Baku has sought to secure an uninterrupted gas supply to Nakhchivan through an extensive infrastructure project. The newly constructed pipeline seamlessly integrates with the Iğdır Natural Gas Pipeline, located in Türkiye’s easternmost province of Iğdır.
Providing insights into natural gas transit from Iraq’s Kurdish Regional Government to Türkiye’s Ceyhan Pipeline, Bayraktar emphasized that the infrastructure has been ready for the past one and a half years.
He underscored that ongoing negotiations between Erbil, Baghdad and oil-producing firms have yielded positive indications regarding the imminent commencement of shipments.
“Türkiye seeks to fully utilize the Iraq-Türkiye pipeline — particularly the dual pipelines extending 650 kilometers from Silopi to Ceyhan,” he remarked.
Bayraktar further indicated that throughput via this route could be augmented, highlighting Ankara’s objective of maximizing the pipeline’s capacity.
“A portion of the crude transported through this pipeline is designated for Türkiye’s Kırıkkale refinery, while the remainder is shipped via Ceyhan to either Turkish or various global refineries,” he explained.
Touching upon nuclear energy collaboration, Bayraktar revealed Russia’s keen interest in the proposed nuclear power plant in Sinop in Türkiye’s north.
“However, our immediate priority is to expedite the commissioning of the first reactor at Akkuyu [Nuclear Power Plant]. In this regard, we held discussions today with Rosatom representatives,” he concluded.
Source: hurriyetdailynews